The present invention relates to the field of tailoring and provides a measurement system, wherein a user in a remote location, or in a store, can quickly be measured for any number of garments using a camera.
Prior art tailor measuring systems require that the subject wear a special tight-fitting garment with target points on the garment, and full body scans or multiple cameras. Additionally, in the prior art, body features, such as the neck, had to be detected by hand or with specially marked points.
Development of a camera based measurement system which can automatically determine tailor body measurements with one camera, few pictures and without requiring the customer to wear special garments represents a great improvement in the field of tailoring and satisfies a long felt need of the public.
The present invention is a camera based measurement system which can automatically determine tailor body measurements with one camera, few pictures and without requiring the customer to wear special garments. The present invention will automatically detect the neck and other body features and can perform the function with a single camera, and a relatively small number of views, typically four.
This invention captures the silhouette of a user not his or her image. In a preferred embodiment, customers face the camera with their arms held away from their body at about 45 degrees. Preferably, customers should wear a swimming suit or any tight fitting garment for the silhouette making process. Although a camera takes a picture it is immediately converted to a silhouette to perform the calculations. The silhouette is then compressed into a very small file that contains only the customer""s 9 body measurements. No one ever looks at or saves any actual photographs. The image that is captured is transient and is lost as the image is processed into a silhouette. This technology enables derivation of the nine traditional tailor measurementsxe2x80x94height, neck, chest, waist, hip, seat, sleeve length, sleeve inseam and pant inseamxe2x80x94necessary to fit a garment to the human body. Collecting the data at a retailer who has installed the technology takes approximately two minutes.
Two silhouettes are needed: front and side. This technology measures customers faster, more consistently, more accurately and less intrusively than traditional hand measuring. The input and transmission of measurement data is standardized and automated, eliminating errors resulting from recording measurement data by hand.
The digital silhouettes become a cyber mannequin. This technology computes both two- and three-dimensional measurements from the data captured by a digital camera and represented by a silhouette. This data is electronically processed to match online retailer""s garment specifications to facilitate the perfect fit.
When shoppers arrive at participating online apparel stores, armed with their nine body measurementsxe2x80x94height, neck, chest, waist, hip, seat, sleeve length, sleeve inseam and pants inseamxe2x80x94their data is matched to the retailer""s existing computerized pattern storage system. Instead of guessing which size to buy, shoppers will know that the garment they receive has been electronically selected to best match their body.
While it is possible for shoppers to download the software and instructions at home and create their own body measurement data file, participating retailers offer the measurement technology of this invention in the privacy of their dressing rooms.
An appreciation of the other aims and objectives of the present invention and an understanding of it may be achieved by referring to the accompanying drawings and description of a preferred embodiment.